Supporting the Deaf Reach School

The FESF Deaf Reach school in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Karachi, is truly a Utopian community where the deaf children from extremely poor households get empowered through education, literacy and vocational tutoring.

Since more than 50% of Pakistan’s population dwells in rural areas, there is little or no access to specialized resources for children with disabilities. Only a fraction of more than 1 million deaf children attend school and become literate and those who attend specialized schools generally face a delay in literacy development due to their parents’ and teachers’ inability to communicate effectively.

IDRF has been working to address this gap in deaf education with Family Educational Services Foundation (FESF) in Pakistan, benefitting thousands of deaf students, including girls.

The Deaf Reach Program includes several centers in Pakistan; Karachi, Hyderabab, Tando Allahyar, Nawabshah, Sukkur and Lahore, thus operating the only network of deaf schools nationally. FESF has also developed the first ever Pakistan Sign Language Lexicon, which contains 5,000 words and includes a website, mobile app, DVD and book. This Lexicon aims to greatly enhance the development and literacy skills of both deaf people and their educators and interpreters. View it at:http://psl.org.pk/

IDRF is extremely pleased to be working with FESF and to be able to reach out to a generally neglected group of children who have the potential to achieve greatness with a little help and the right kind of encouragement. The prevalent happiness amongst the students at FESF reflects the heart that the management puts into the running of the school, as FESF’s diligent Director, Daniel Mark says, “The management at the Deaf Reach School believes that no deaf child should be turned away from the school.”